1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support arm assembly for supporting tubings leading to a rotatable bowl in an apparatus for separating whole blood into components thereof and for automatically collecting one of the components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore various apparatus have been proposed for separating whole blood into at least three components thereof, such as a centrifugal liquid processing apparatus where a rotor assembly having a container or bowl for receiving the whole blood to be processed by centrifugation is rotated in the apparatus to cause separation of the whole blood into red blood cells at the outer radius, a buffy coat of white blood cells at an intermediate radius and plasma containing platelets at an inner radius of the bowl. Outlets are provided on the bowl at the different radii and tubings are connected to the outlets. Pumps are provided for withdrawing each of the blood components which collects at one of the radii and at a zone adjacent each of the outlets. The outlets are coupled to the tubings either directly or by means of a fluid seal. When they are connected directly, twisting is prevented by reason of the rotor assembly being driven at a speed twice the speed of a coaxial member mounting a cable holding device through which the tubings pass to reach the bowl in the rotor assembly. As a result of the different speeds of the coaxial member and the rotor assembly, twisting is prevented. A further explanation of an apparatus having such an arrangement can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,442.
In the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,442, an arm holding the umbilical cable guides or trains the cable containing the tubings downwardly generally on the axis of rotation of the rotor assembly. This arm is fixed.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the support arm assembly of the present invention differs from the prior arm by providing a horizontally pivotal arm portion which can be pivoted away from the axis of the rotor assembly to facilitate removal of a bowl mounted in the rotor assembly.